Andrew w



@uiten gisten atat @fitte ANDREW w. SMITH,l 0F DUDLEYVILLE, ALABAMA.V Letters Patent llfo. 73,469, dated Jqmtmy 21, 1868.

IMPROVEMBNI'A IN FANNING-MILLS.

T0 AIL WHOM IT MAY CNCERN:

Be it known that I, ANDREW W. SMITH, of Dudleyville, in the county of Tallapoosa, and State of Alabama, l have inventedcertain Improvements in Fanning-Mills; and I do declare that the following is a full and exact description of thc same, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, and to the' letters of reference marked thereon. i

This invention relates to certain improvements in tanning-mills, which consist principally of a peculiararrangement of sieves, and a simple-method of operating them, and also of a combination of a feeding-roller in the hopper with stationary pins, forthe'purpose of catching and breaking any straw that may have adhered to the grain after passing through the threshing-machine, as will be hereinafter fully described. n In the drawings* V Figure 1 represents a perspective view of my'improved tanning-mill.V

Figure 2, a side elevation.

Figure 3, a top view.

Figure 4, a sectional view and Figure 5, a bottom view of the sieve-frame.

To enable others to make and use my invention, I will now proceed to describe its construction and operation.

A represents the mill, constructed in the ordinary manner. a, fig. l represents a gear-wheel attached to the shaft'd", and provided with the handle a?, 4by means of which power is applied to the mill, as'described, into which gears the small wheel b, to the shaft of whichA is attached the fan. Upon the opposite end of the shaft b is attached the pulley-wheela, lig. 2, connected with which, by mea-ns of the belt a",is the pulley c upon the :shaft of the feeding-roller el. To the wheel a3 is also eccentrieally attached one end of the shaft d, to the opposite end of which is attached the arm e of the rOck-shaftE. a* a represent holes at dii'erent distances from the centre ofthe wheel a3, by means of which the rapidity of motion imparted tothe shaft is readily regulated. c3 e3 represent holes in the arm e of the rock-shaft E, at diiierent distances fromits centre, by which meansthe length ofthe movement of the sieve-frame is regulated. From the shaft E, at the point el, rise the short arms e2, provided with eyes, to which is suitably attached the sieve-frame F, by means of the staples f1. The opposite end of-their sieve-frame F rests upon the roller G. The advantage of the arrangement will be readily seen, for the sieve-frame being thus supported only at three points, by the two arms e2 of the shaft E and by the roller. G, the `amountof friction to be overcome, when motion is imparted, is made extremely small. The sieve-frame F is of peculiar shape and construction, as shown, being so arranged that all the sieves are held and operated byit; the upper-ones of which, howevcr,f2f3, when the grain is iirst received, are held in a horizontal position, while the lower one,f*, is held in an inclined position, the object of this being to insure perfect action of the `blast upon the grain, the tendency being in mills, when the sicves are -all inclined, to throw the grain down before it is perfectly fanned. frepresent rods for the purpose of strengths ening the sieve-frame. The upper sieves j'zf3 slide in grooves, as shown, and are firmly held in place by means of the keys f5 passing down behind the rodsf. The lower sieves are held in place by means o f the buttons g. These sieves can be readily removed and others of suitable sizes substituted. The upper part of the incline of the sieve-frame is left open, as shown aten, over which ordinarily rests the boardfv. Vlh`en,'however, it is desired to separate light and heavy grain, this board is removed, and in operation the heavy grain falling perpcndicularly, passes down the incline, while the light grain either-falls into the opening or is blown out of the mill. By raising the outer end of the board f when it is in place, very lightrgrain, suchvas oats, can be separated. el represents the feedingroller,which is made of any suitable material, and provided with the projections e2. c3 represent stationary pins placed in the hopper-board, as shown, and so arranged that the projections on the roller pass betweenthem when the latter is in motion. v c represents an ordinary slide-board, by which the amount of grain admitted is regulated.

The operation of my invention is as follows 'lhe grain having been placed in the hopper, the machine is set in motion. Any Astraw that may adhere is quickly eut apart by the feeding-roller and pins, i'n such manner as to be instantly removed when it enters the millby the blast. Passing througlrthe sievcs fzf3 of different degrees of iineness, the coarser articles are arrested, while the grain falls upon the lower inclined sieve, and

instead of passing through it, it passes over it, and is thus freed from inex' foreign `substances., such as sand, cookies, Snc., which may have passed through the other sievcswith it.

I do not claim broadly the idea, of a. feeding-roller, nor the method of operating my machine, but simpiy the various combinations and arrangements of it, the whole being compact, simple, and e'eetive.

Having thus described my invention,l whatl claim asnew, and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is- The feeding-relier c with its projections, in combination with vthe pins c3, slide-board c, and hopper C, when arranged es described.

This specification signed and witnessed, this twenty-fourth day of October, 1867.

- A. W; SMITH.

Witnesses:

H. W. BEADLE, W. E. STUMPH. 

